The original documents are located in Box 121, folder “White House” of the Ron Nessen Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Ron Nessen donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Digitized from Box 121 of the Ron Nessen Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
October 8, 1974
TRAVEL QUESTIONS
Question: Why are airport arrivals so often closed? Is it security?
Answer The Vermont airport arrival was closed because of the arrival time (darkness). The President's busy schedule yesterday precluded an earlier departure. (Reasons vary with each such trip - e.g. lighting of the airport would be expensive and the President didn't want to be away from D.C. too long).
Question: Who pays for political trips? How much?
Answer The Republican National Committee pays for political trips. The leasing of Air Force One and the helo trip to Andrews will cost the Republican National Committee $5,007.68. (__i-A.-clvcf.c-5 co.,-7"! C.Jf 'f'-t"'ST7)
Question: What about the support functions -- Secret Service, White House Communications Agency?
Answer The USSS and WHCA pay their own expenses.
Question: What other support people go on these trips? Who pays?
Answer Principally military, i.e., Air Force One, these units incur their own costs.
Question: Is there a backup plane on political trips, and if so, who pays?
Answer There was no back-up plane for the Vermont trip. The decision on utilization of a back-up plane is a function of the event location and its distance from Washington, D.C. The Republican National Committee does not pay for back-up aircraft. . ~ '
Page 2
Question: What is the total cost of the trip? How much does the RNC pay?
Answer The total cost of yesterday's
Question: On overnight trips, who pays for the President's quarters? For White House staff? For Secret Service? For WHCA? For military? For other?
Answer Sponsoring organization and/or Republican National Committee for the President's quarters and the White House staff. As for the USSS, WHCA and military; the U.S. Government.
Question: What is the rationale for the Government paying for so much on these political trips?
Answer Rationalization for the Government paying so much on these political trips, is regardless of the ~~~ nature of the trip, the President •~s:r~i li~curity - (tfllt) and as Commander in Chief requires communication and military support. These requirements exist 24 hours a day, regardless of what! the President is doing.
QUESTION: Who pays for the cars in the motorcade?
ANS~ER: The Secret Service has an annual contract with the Ford ~1otor Company under which Ford provides several cars (under very reasonable terms). These are used for Presidential guests and they are obtained by USSS i11!ZSK:SK for security reasons. Others vehicles in the motorcade are local police cars, wire cars provided by the phone company, press buses provided by you--and any other vehicles would have to be provided by the local organization. ; p -~\ 1J '1"' ]\. f ~ .(\.,. 'f' 0 .,.,1' T T-T H "f R _F. t\ T J ;-> ',- D •I .... ~}. ..:.."\... .l.. .,._V_..._ ...... ~ .A. - A ...... c...~ -- ~ s '- t"-. I 9/3/74
ui'\ITED STATES SECRET SERVICE
Technical Security Division
N 0 T I C E
All consurnables addressed to the President, Vice President, or other Secret Service protectee which are received in , the White House Mail Reception Unit are routinely destroyed upon ·the advice of the 'secret Service. This is true o£ both food and cosmetics, including perfumes, powders etc.
Regardless of the integrity or reputation of the donors of the consumables, it is the Secret Service position that any item which is addressed to the President is subject to the possibility of contamination between the ·_,.·) Accordingly, the position of the Secret Service remains as previously stated. All consTh~ables addressed to the President should be destroyed. They should not be used by anv other person. Any·per.;;on who insists upon accepting or consUJ.uing any consu..-nahle addressed to the President is hereby notified that he does so at his own risk and against the express advice a.nd wishes of the Secret Service. 'Under no circum stance should these regulations be circumvented to permit any of these items to reach the President or other protectee • .. .. ,wL~~.) ;l..r- v .·~ "'~ &V ~~y-. I._- RE>bert R. Snow · Special Agent in Charge Septernber 24, 1974 SUBJECT: WHO HAS ·CABINET RANK? You announced today that Don Rumsfeld will join the White House Staff as Assistant to the President and will have Cabinet rank. Who else has Cabinet rank? GUIDANCE: Of course, the Cabinet members have Cabinet rank, and they include: Brennan Rogers I Brinegar Saxbe i Butz Schlesinger l Dent Simon .) Kissinger Weinberger Lynn In addition, the following Counsellors to the President have Cabinet rank: Armstrong Burch Hartmann Marsh Rush Also, Assistants to the President with Cabinet rank include: Ash Kissinger Rumsfeld In addition, the following two have Cabinet rank: Buchen Scali FYI: The following are Assistants to the President with no Cabinet rank: Baroody Cole Haig Timmons ) THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON October 3, 1974 MEMORANDUM FOR RON NESSEN FROM: LARRY SPEAKES SUBJECT: GUCCIBAG Q: The President was photographed carrying a Gucci bag--a gift from the Italian President--to the first lady at the hospital. Isn't it against the law to take gifts from a foreign head of state for personal use? A: The President regards the bag as property of the Government--not his own--and was merely bringing it to the hospital to show to Mrs. Ford. October 31, 1974 FROM: Donald Lowitz RE: Possible Press Inquiries in Connection with Distribution of Standards of Conduct Manual and Statement of Employment and Financial Interests WHAT DISTRIBUTED October 30, distribution of a Standards of ·Conduct Manual with accompanying memorandums from Donald Rumsfeld, Assistant to the President, and Philip Buchen, Counsel to the President, to all staff members of the White House Office, the Vice President's Office and the Domestic Council. Employees paid at the level equal to or in excess of a GS-13 ($21, 816) and all consultants also received a Statement of Employment and Financial Interests which must be sub- mitted to the Counsel to the President for evaluation and acceptance. (See Tab A for distribution material). Heads of independent offices within the Executive Office of the President reveived memorandum from Donald Rumsfeld, along· with copies of the data distributed to the White House staff. This memo (see Tab B) requests that the Heads of these offices emphasize the neces.sity that they and their staffs ·be in full compliance with all legal requirements concerning conflicts of interest. BASIS FOR DISTRIBUTION Underlying authority for distribution is Executive Order ll222 "Prescribing Standards of Ethical Conduct for Government Offices and Employees" issued by President Johnson on May 8, 1965. -2- On February 29, 1968, implementing regulations were issued and are applicable to all employees of the Executive Office of the President. The manual entitled, "Standards of Conduct for the White House Staff," was prepared and issued during the previous Administration. (See Tab A for these documents). WHYDmTRlliUTIONDONE At the outset of his Administration, the President indicated he wanted to be certain that everyone in the Administration was aware of the high standards of conduct which the public expects of Government employees. He wanted to be certain that the Executive Order and regulations were fully adhered to by the staff. The documents in the distribution, particularly the memorandum, stress in detail the importance to be placed on the exercise of proper judgment in conducting one's activities in public office. POSSIBLE QUESTIONS: 1. Is this activity in response to any specific acts of wrongdoing discovered since President Ford took office? Answer: No. It is to carry out the President's intention that all executive branch personnel be aware of the importance he places on proper conduct and that they be familiar with the rules and regulations now in effect. -3- 2. Are the rules and regulations now in effect going to be reviewed or revised? Answer: Yes. They are under study and if it is desirable, revisions will be made. This will be a joint effort with the Civil Service Commission which also has a responsibility in this area. 3. There has been some indication that a staff meeting was being planned to acquaint the staff in the White House with these problems, is that correct? Answer: Yes, there will be staff meetings dealing with questions in the area of standards of conduct as well as questions concerning the day-to-day operation of the White House. This is in the planning stage. November 13, 1974 I also have some an~oun;c,:::ements today with regard to the Press J a.£tl. ~ ..... ~ /?~d.c~--r------ Office staff. I am pleased to announce that Jerry Warren is remaining on the White House staff as Deputy Press Secretary to the President for Information Liaison. He will have liaison responsibility within the Executive Branch and will be in contact with editors, publishers and broadcast executives throughout the country. Prior to joining the White House staff in January of 1969, Jerry was Assistant Managing Editor of the San Diego Union. J"aali44tl&sh@!i!l ;em a 1n &-am:yeq• • j nd t;:Is i'iiput"" ~------'"··--, -~ . Paul· Mil tich, as you know, 1s Specia~Asslstant to the Presiderrb for Public Affairs and will be devoting his time to working v~~ closely with the'President on writing assignments, in prepar~g the President for his frequent news conferences, in overseeing the preparation of the President's news summary, in preparing presidential statements and in helping with Presidential and / J correspondence. / Jim Holland, who most of you know, has expressed a desire to return to the private sector after five years of Government service, and we certainly wish him well. Larry Speakes is being promoted to Assistant Press Secretary and will be joining Jerry Warren's operation when I can find a replacement for him. (MORE) REFURBISHING OPOVAL OPP'ICE "--·- ---- Q: How much is it costing to refurbish the Oval Office? A1 Nothing. All the articles which have been put into the room were items alreaay government property, either beloning to the General Services Administration or the Curator's Office. Qa Will the oval be repainted? Aa I think it probably will while the President is away at 3 Chrtistmas time. It was last painted 1 I ti tif et 'Iii u DU'PPL Qa Why were the changes made? Aa The President wanted an office that more reflected his style and taste. He wanted a room that was less formal and had a warmer feeling about it. He also wanted the objects in the room to relect the history of the country and alao the fact that we will mark the 200th anniversary of the nation in 1976. Qa Why were the battle flags taken out? Isn't that something that all Presidents have had? A: The White House curator, Clement Conger, tells me that not all President~ have had them in the room, but I suggest you check with him or with Mrs. Ford's press secretary for any other details. Qa What will happen to the blue rug that was in the office? A: It will be placed in storage until such time as it is needed again. • Nothing that Ia belongs to the White Ho~se can be sold or ._. destroyed, by law. ~~ How long has the planning been going on for this? Aa Check that and any other questions with Shelia Widenfeld. November 27, 1974 SUBJECT: WOLF COAT ~fuy would the President accept a wolf coat and in turn give it as a fresent to Hr. Brezhnev when the vTolf is an endangered species? GUIDANCE: It is my understanding that the Alaskan gray wolf is not an endangered species in Alaska or Canada. It is legally hunted and legally trapped in Alaska at the present time. FYI: In the lower United States, the Eastern Timber wolf, the Red wolf, and the Northern Rocky Mountain Timber wolf, are on the endangered species list. END FYI. -· - - -'------~--· ~-----.- -.~------.,-__.. .._.,. --~------....-~-- . __..,._, -.-·------~ -~---~--~-----·--~~~----=---·~,._-,~ -.....,_,~ ...-~-- --~----,.~--.-y·..-~'"-~·r·----- ··-~-•~-·- -~-n JGC December 3, 1974 NESSEN Q AND A Q) What will be Friedersdorf' s salary? A) $42, 500• Q) Will he take Timmons' office in the West Wing? A) There will be some changes in office space after the first of the year, and I'm not sure who will be where. Q) Will Mr. Friedersdorf report directly to the President? A) Yes. Q) Are Tom Korologos and Gene Ainsworth also resigning? A) I don't know. I have seen press speculation and will announce staff changes if and when they occur. Q) Will Friedersdorf keep others on the current Congressional Relations staff? A) Max will review the staff, assess his requirements and make recommendations to the President. This will take some time and I do not anticipate announcements until January. Q) Isn't the President replacing one Nixon holdover with another? A) The fact that both Timmons and Friedersdorf worked for the former President has nothing whatever to do with today's announcement. Friedersdorf has worked closely with President Ford for many years and enjoys his respect and admiration. I should also point out several inaccurate and unfortunate stories -- such as one captioned "Ford to Remove Timmons'' and printed remarks attributed to unnamed sources to the effect the President feels his relations with the new Congress might suffer if he retained the current legislative staff. The truth is that Timmons initiated his resignation and the President is most reluctant to lose his service. -2- Q) When did Timmons decide to leave? A) Actually, Bill wanted to leave government service two years ago but was persuaded to stay on. While the President had hoped Timmons could remain on the staff, he appreciates Bill's personal wishes and has accepted his resignation reluctantly. Q) Is Timmons opening a public relations firm, as reported in the press? A) I'm not sure of Bill's plans. You should ask him directly. Q) Is Timmons reviewing with the President and other staff legislative plans and the Budget for the 94th Congress? A) No, he has asked to be relieved from those sessions, and Mr. Friedersdorf is covering them for the Congressional Relations office. Q) Will Timmons continue to work the Hill during the lame duck session? A) Yes. He and his staff continue to pursue the President's legislative goals for the lame duck session. However, Timmons has set aside time to work with Friedersdorf to effect a smooth transition of office responsibilities. Q) Does this complete the White House personnel changes? What about Cole, Ash, Garment and others? A) This is the only personnel action I know about. If there are others, you will be briefed promptly. December 4, 1974 ZIEGLER'S PRESENCE IN THE WHITE HOUSE or (Is this place big enough for two Rons?) Q: Ron Ziegler has been seen entering the West Wing of the White House Monday and Tuesday. Can you tell us what he is doing? A: As you know, Ron Ziegler is in charge of former President Nixon's staff in San Clemente and when there are matters relating to the transition he is usually the person through whom this Administration works. By law, the former President has six months to affect the transition and that runs out on February 9, 1975, which is a little over two months from now. Ziegler contacted Jack Marsh recently to say that there were several items pertaining to the transition that he wanted to discuss with Marsh, in effect to give him a four month status report and requested authorization to fly back to Washington. Some of the items which he has talked to Mr. Marsh about are the present situation in San Clemente, the workload, what remains to be done, staffing, etc. As some of you may know, when the transition ends on February 9, money to pay staff and other necessities will come out of the appropriation for the Former President's Act. That appropiration will last until June 30. Beginning July 1, an appropriation under that Act for Fiscal year 1976 will be used to continue to fund the Nixon operation. PAGE 2 (Ziegler's presence in the White House) Q: How long will Ziegler remain in Washington? A: He reports to the former President, so I don't know how long he will be here. But I would expect that he will be coming back from time to time to discuss FY 76 budget matters. Q: Is he using an office in the White House or the Executive Office Building? A: No. Q: Does he have to sign in when he enters the White House? A: Yes, I understand he does. Q: Did anyone else come back with Ziegler? A: Not that I am aware of. Q: Did he see anyone else at the White House besides Marsh? A: I'm sure he has and will be, but I don't have a list. December 11, 1974 NESSEN GUIDANCE Ar~l the President has accepted.with his deepest regret the decision of Tom Korologos;Veene Ainsworth a:na Pencil l$£5Ute to leav~ g;9vernment service and enter the private sector. ~~have worked with Bill Timmons in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs and have served with distinction in perhaps the most difficult of government assignments. The President, of course, worked closely with Tom*Gene ~when he was Minority Leader, Vice President and as President. He knows firsthand of their valuable contributions and their departures will be sorely missed at the White House. Anilll e=J: ~f leryrs j-1:: b~ .p;sted after this #8 J 7& 2~ ~)P..W !JD~. Also, although not a Presidential appointment, the President has written Stan Ebner, General Counsel of the Office of Management and Budget, acknowledging with appreciation his outstanding services at OMB. Stan submitted his resignation formally to Roy Ash, Director of OMB. -- December ll, 1974 I CONGRESSIONAL RELATIONS RESIGNATIONS I ,.I Q) Following Timmons' resignation, is this a wholesale firing of the Congressional staff? A) No, not at all. Each of these Presidential aides initiated their own resignations and - quite frankly - I think it fair to say the President is reluctant to lose their expert abilities and keen understanding of Members of Congress and the legislative process. They all had been asked to stay on. Q) What are the titles of these personnel? A) Korologos is Deputy Assistant to the President for Senate Affairs. Ainsworth is Special Assistant to the President for House of Representatives Affairs. Moore is Deputy Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs. Ebner is General Counsel of OMB. Q) Who will be replacing them? A) That has not been decided but when it is you will be nottf.,ied. As you know, Max Friedersdorf was named last week to take Bill Timmons' post and Max will be making recommendations to the President of qualified personnel to fill out the Office of Legislative Affairs. Q) Are any of these assistants joining Timmons after he leaves? A) I really don't know their plans and suggest you discuss their future options directly with them. Q) Is there a feeling these aides can't work with the new Democratic Congress? A) To the contrary, they could work well with the 94th Congress. I understand that Timmons and Korologos, Ainsworth and Moore are respected by the bipartisan Congressional leaders, Democratic chairmen and Members on both sides of the aisle. Also, as you 1nay know, two of the group (Ainsworth and Moore) worked for Hill Democrats {Rep. Montgomery and Senator Russell) before joining the White House staff. -2- Q) Why are so many Congressional aides departing at this particular time? A) Those that have chosen to leave government service felt obligated to see the current Congressional session to its conclusion. It would have been extremely difficult to bring new staff on board, train them and go through a period of orientation during a Congressional session. Also, these staff members want to depart before the 94th Congress convenes so they are not locked in to another year. January 30, 1975 COORS Q: How long has Coors beer been served in the White House? A: The practice started under former President Nixon. When the former President was in California, several members of his staff (who were from California) re quested that Coors be served in the Mess facility at the Western White House. The beer was purchased in California and served there. It became the practice to bring back to Washington the Coors that was left over after a stay in California. Q: Has President Ford brought back any Coors from any of his trips? A: When the President was in Vail, there was a small staff Mess operation. The coors which was left over was brought back to Washington. It amounted to not more than 5 or 6 cases. It came back on a cargo plane that carried some of the equipment used there. (FYI: WHCA' s communications plane. ) Q: What use is made of the beer in the White House? A: The President does not usually drink beer. However, if Coors is on hand, it is sometimes offered to guests. On these occasions, the President pays for the beer. (FYI: It is not served at social events.) Q: Has a special plane ever been used to bring Coors? A: Never. Only when there was room on a returning flight has Coors been brought back. The Vail trip is the only one I know of. Q: Has any action been taken to prevent a repeat of the Secret Service incident? A: It is my under standing that, in the future, only personal luggage will be allowed aboard these aircrafts. That would eliminate any boxes, packages or crates. (FYI: Memo attached) COORS (continued) FYI ONLY Under the Nixon Administration, when beer was brought back from California, it was served in the Mess. Beer is available in the Mess one day a week--Thursday. The Mess would serve beer whenever it was available following these trips. However, since the supply was quickly exhausted, Coors was not available about 90 percent of the time. Serving Coors in the Mess before the recent Supreme Court ruling could have been a violation of the Coors regulations for shipment and re-sale of their beer outside their territorial limits. Therefore, we should avoid mention of use of Coors in the White House Mess and say that it was used by the President for personal guests when available. COORS BEEil TRANSPORTATION 1/29/75 Ron, what is the White House doing about the Secret Service agent who brought back Coors beer from California on a military plane for private use? A. Secret Service is handling the rmtter -- Jack Warner in the Secret Service Public Information Office is the person to talk to about that. Q. Isn't this an old custom of the Secret Service? A. You'd better consult Jack Warner about that. Q. Didn't the President bring back some Coors beer from Vai14> A. I understand that there had been some Coors purchased for White House use at Vail. The beer which. wasn't consumed was brought back. Q. Brought back for the President's use? A. -For White- House use. Q. What does that mean? A. For use at White House ~IJaiMl functions. Q. Doesn't the President drink Coors beer? A. I don't know. I have never seen him drink beer of any brand. Janaary 28w 1.97S. February 24, 1975 DISHES Q: Why did the White House take dishes on some of the trips to use at dinners for Governors? A: On many occasions when the President is host for a dinner outside the White House, dishes, glassware and silverware will be taken. However, this is not always the case. There are also certain security problems which may predicate the use of the White House dishes. Q: What china is this? A: This is the so-called State Department china. It is used at embassies around the world. Q: Is he using this china just to impress the governors? A: No, if that was the purpose, we have a lot more impressive, valuable and historic china that could be used. Q: You mean to say that every time the President eats outside the White House you take his dishes? A: No, not always. But when we do not carry White House dishes, the preparation of the food is closely s-qpervised. Q 5. j- f} /} A' .~ . ) _,c~'-: (/ - 'PJ a. C.R--t:-'-C/ ..c.. .,.::'>i<..'Y-r>CC?f.,";l.,,y 4f: --Ce_ .-,-~-•--<-- cc<--'--:. - 2 - Q: What could happen with a dish to harm the President? A: All sorts of things--bacteria, for instance, could have serious consequences. Q: Who prepares these meals? A: The White House usually sends someone to supervise the preparation of meals whenever the President is host. Also, a steward from the White House Mess usually goes (as a valet also) to supervise the service. We send no chef on these trips. Q: What is the cost of shipping these dishes? A: Virtually no cost. They are packed by the steward who goes along. They are loaded in a plane that is going ahead to carry equipment that will be used by the White House at the trip site. So ... the only cost would be that portion of the man's salary that is expended during the few minutes he is packing and unpacking the dishes. Q: Is the food bought locally? A: Virtually all of it. Perhaps, at times, there will be some staples in the nature of things like sugar, salt and pepper that might be carried. Q: How much have these dinners and breakfasts been costing? A: Atlanta: Dinner, $16. 00; Breakfast, $5.75 (per plate) Houston: Dinner, $16. 50; Breakfast, $7.25 (per plate) Q: Who pays for it? A: It comes out of the White House allowance for official entertainment. - 3 - Q: Do you have the hotel personnel wash the dishes--or wasn't there an occasion when they were brought back dirty? A: The dishes are washed at the hotel if the time and schedule permits. Q: Why doesn't the White House carry dishes all the time for the President? A: This question is answered in the first question. Q: When the President has a meal or a snack in his hotel room, does he use White House glasses and plates? A: Normally, this comes from the hotel. However, overseas this equipment is carried. Q: Will you take dishes to Miami? And why? A: Yes. Because the hotel did not have enough matching glassware to adequately serve the President's guests. March 4, 1975 ~-- ' I e -f -- (;-v/1~ 7 MISSING SILVER Q: Maxine Cheshire says that 90 place settings of "Joan of Arc'' silver purchased in 1966 and used by President Johnson is now missing? A: That is untrue. The silver wa~ purchased by the State Department in 1966. It wai}~f a dinner in Bangkok and returned to Washington. It is my understanding from the military people here at the White House that 48 place settings of it were held at the White House and the remainder returned to the State Department. The 48 place settings are here at the White House now. Some of it is used on Air Force One. Other place settings are used to carry on trips. (FYI: Some of it was used at Key Biscayne under President Nixon, but has since been returned to the White House. ) Of the 48 place settings kept at the White House, none is missing. Q: Where is the rest of the 9_~. place settings? A: It was returned to the State Department in 1966, according to the military here, and you will have to ask them. Gfp.g- c/< (L;::t,.-~fil (:,'c [, T)c) :;;,; ) / Some items in this folder were not digitized because it contains copyrighted materials. Please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library for access to these materials. '. MorC'h ~. 1075 · ...... __ ;;;;;;;;.__ .. ~~~~~---~~~;;;;;~l~.. ~ . ( -ll';J.f)_ PTREOPJ , JTJETSISV.VRmE~~~~- ~- -~-~ ~_~ - -~-·;;·-=~---~---;;-~~·~-;;~---·-.!!!!!·· .- The White House, which recenqy acq~d a nc · · · asked to buy enough china,. crystal and silver to feed 90 might know anything about it seems to have retired, I ' VIP 1 $100,000 set of sterling ~ver flatware, misplaced c guests of the President and .. fil'st Laqy. Eve~g , resigned or died. "1'118 given up trying," she sa}ti. lost another set worth about $45,000 before Presidc•r t was .to ·be in Thailand by military plane within 24 . Fi{st_~ .. • March 28, 1975 FOREIGN GIFTS Q: The Washington Post says this morning that former President Nixon may be able to keep some of the gifts from foreign governments. Is that true? A: First, none of these gifts are at the White House. They were turned over to the GSA for storage. Since that time, court orders have prevented their transfer or disposal. I would suggest you check with GSA for any details they might have on these gifts. (FYI: The Nixon suit over Presidential materials is mainly aimed at his papers. If he won the suit, federal law would still prevent him from taking gifts given to him by a foreign government which have a value in excess of $50.) Q: Did Nixon fail to turn over some of these gifts at the time? A: I cannot answer for Mr. Nixon or what happened at the time. Q: Is it true, as the GAO says in its report, that compliance with the law is largely voluntary? A: I would suggest you ask the lawyers in the State Department. These gifts, as you know, by law are under the control of the State Department and the Chief of Protocol. (FYI: Yes, compliance is largely voluntary.) I would suggest you look at Mr. Catto' swords in which he says the law is clear and that present criminal and civil statutes are sufficient for the Justice Department to in vestigate and prosecute those who fail to comply with the law. Q: Does the White House see a need to strengthen the law? A: I have heard no discussion of this. I understand the State Department lawyers spoke at length on this in an appendix to the GAO report. - 2 - Q: What is to keep President Ford from doing what Nixon did? A: First, President Ford has stated very clearly that he will comply with the law. Second, he has instituted a foreign gifts policy that is designed to achieve the following: 1. Indicate clearly that gifts which are received from a foreign head of state which exceeds $50 in value become the property of the United States government at the moment of receipt; establish a system of accountability, and provide access to the records that are maintained by the State Department. 2. Indicate that the Chief of Protocol may use these gifts for display at the State Department or White House; that they may be used for official Presidential functions, or displayed at a museum or other public place when this is designated by the Chief of Protocol. 3. FYI: Provides that the Chief of Protocol can approve other uses of these gifts when it is not specified by the regulations. 4. FYI: Provides that they may eventually be displayed in some future Presidential library. Q: What happens when foreign gifts are received here? A: They come to either the mail room or the gifts' unit. It is properly logged (in six copies), numbers are assigned and affixed to the gift and its container and they are separated according to value and various other categories. At that time, a copy of these records is forwarded to the Chief of Protocol. With his approval, these are transferred to GSA for storage and are then under the control of the State Department Q: What if Ford wants to keep and use a coat or something similar that he receives on a foreign trip? A: When he returned from the trip, the item would be taken to the gift unit where it would be properly logged and tagged. It would be returned to the President for his official use according to the regulations. At the time he left office, it would be returned to the gifts' unit, which would then place it in control of the State Department as required by law. QUESTION - Has the Secret Service searched for the possible location of a laser "bug" in the oval office? What was the result? A report said it was removed in August 1970. ANSWER - Based on security precautions in effect then and now, it is the position of the Secret Service that a laser beam transmitter was never installed. Henry W. Cohen Treasury Dept. 964 3439 April 21, 1975 July 9, 1975 WHITE HOUSE CONSUU'ANTS Q--- Is Phil Areeda still on the White House pay roll? A--- It is my understanding that Phil Areeda is carried on the payroll• as a consultant-- -meaning he is paid only for the days on which he does work for the White House. 0ft · I Jts~Jdasutl - _tls gr; Sin ce becoming 7 a i1 I '; c consultant, Mr. Areeda has drawn no salary., -aar:ording to our records. Q--- How many consultants does the White House have? \?.erso~ A-- At present 2 [IT · 9 ~are being carriee don the payroll asA' paid consultants. _.,FYI- -There is also one UNpaid consultant. SEP'JI. 26, 197 5 FOR: RON NESSEN FROM: BILL ROBERTS RE: WHITE HOUSE POWER OUTAGE Q--Why did the White House lights go out during the State Dinner ••• !~§~.Biei!J~? short A--- I understand that one of the PEPCO feeder lines circuited last night, apparently from the heavy rains. ,._-t'wr(.E:. The White House lights blinke~very briefly while the circuits were automatically switched to another feeder. APRIL 1, 1976 POWER FAILURE AT THE WHITE HOUSE COMPLEX, MARCH 31 At 10:17 p.m., March 31st, a power outage occurred affecting the PE,.PCO substation serving the White House complex, cutting off commercial electricity to the complex. We don't know the cause of the power outage. PEPCO should have that information. At 10:17, all the security, communications, and other necessary systems within the complex were automatically switched to the normal emergency power source in the complex, without incident. Normally, the Residence would also use the power supply from that source. But, because the First Family was not in the Residence (President and Mrs. Ford were at the GOP COngressional dinner and no other members of the family were in the Residence) it was decided to test the backup emergency system in the Residence itself. At 10:20 p.m., some problems developed in the switching mechanism, and there was a second power failure at the Residence. This did not affect the rest of the White House complex, which continued operating as usual on the normal emergency power supply,~in the Residence only the emergency battery powered equipment had power. At 10:37 p.m., it was decided to switch the Residence into the normal internal emergency power supply, and power was restored to the Residence. At ll:l7 p.m., PEPCO's service to the complex was completely restored~ President and Mrs. Ford returned to the White House at ll:l6 p.m. while the complex -- including the Residence -- was on the internal emergency power system. JWR GAO Audit of the White House Q. Ron, Congressman Jack Brooks has recently released a GAO audit of the White House Office accounts which indicates a lack of accountability on the part of White House officials as well as certain illegal financial transactions. Does the White House have any comments on that audit? A. Yes. This audit was requested by Phil Buchen at the beginning of this Administration and it encompasses the period from the last GAO audit, July 1, 1969, and through August 9, 1974. The audit did find certain problems rela ting to the accounting controls and procedures that were utilized prior to this Administration. As the GAO report indicates, Phil Buchen has written to GAO and appraised them of the corrective steps that have been taken to insure that no recurrence takes place in the Ford Administration. PWB/BNR 9/11/76 September 14, 1976 SUBJECT: DATES OF EMPLOYMENT FOR RICHARD ALLEN From August 9, 1972 to July 1, 1973, Richard Allen served the White House on a "service by agreement" arrangement; i.e. a consultancy{he was paid a flat rate for every day that he worked). Prior to that, he had been detailed to the White House staff from the Council on International Economic Policy, from February, 1969, to July, 1971. His employment records for the time he served in CIEP now are in GSA, and will have to be pulled from the file. ME WHITE HOUSE STAFF REDUCTIONS Q. You say the White House is reducing the size of its staff. Can you give me exact figures? A. This reduction of the White House staff is still in progress. We expect it to continue over the next few weeks. When it is complete, we should be able to give you some precise figures. (FYI: Cheney says we should stay away from figures and timing until we are able in mid-December to have the full briefing. ) THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON ~ Rumsfeld has asked me to make two small corrections in the information he gave you yesterday. First, there are no NSC people on the White House payroll. I think Don said he had it confused with the staff of the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board or one of those offices. Don said yesterday that there were a few NSC staff people who were paid by the White HouseT-th~ are not; ~/--e-k>; :I{) Also, he said the White House had 540 full-time staffers on August 1. What he was referring to was the authorized strength as reflected in the budget. That is 540 for the current fiscal year. The reduction in this authorized level will be lowered to 500-w.KJJt :ttnr~ in the budget submitted next month. IF ASKEDa Current December 1 WH staff is 515- which includes San Clemente detailees and a number of other people who will be leaving in the next few weeks. ,. Jv~pg}jf}(/'..2 ?~J~--/ft~ ~-c----On August 1 the figure was 511 BUT AVOID IT. ~~~ E Instead say that the WH staff thus year . ~.>-0 (1/rJflfi- (/l..,f X»"'· has been as high as 534--and in i:~~j 1972 1 ~(/!6fl}e~ it once reached 54 3. The reductions in the staff--to below 500 will come almost entirely from the professional offices, rather than from the career people who staff the payroll office and places like that that really can't be reduced much, if at all. SALARIES (YOU MAY WANT TO GIVE THESE IN A RANGE) 1. Cheney -- $40, 000 2. Lindh -- $2 3 , 0 0 0 3. Lazarus -- $36,000 / 77~ WHITE HOUSE MESS Q. Is it true that the taxpayers are footing a $300, 000 bill to maintain the $2 White House lunch? A. I don't know the precise cost of personnel who work in the White House mess. As you might realize, it takes time to come up with the figures. (FYI ONLY: The Military Office has asked DOD to come up with costs by Jan. 1 and they are doing a study on how we can run the mess and pay the salaries of those who work there. Areeda says not to reveal this because it would lead to questions on the White House vehicles, communications, etc.) Q. Is it true that the White House Mess buys through the military commissary-- even though that is an illegal practice? A. It is true that some purchases for the Mess are made from the military commissary. Other purchases are made from food wholesalers in the Washington area. (FYI: It will take some time to provide a break-down on actual costs.) Q. Does the White House intend to stop buying at the commissary? A. We are looking into the matter -- but, of course, ..._we will comply with the law. (FYI (the line): The White House Mess is run by the military. This is tradition and it has been the practice for many administrations. The military personnel there have the specific function of providing support for the commander-in-chief and his staff. The people who work in the White House are here to serve the President and the American people. They put in long hours. Often it is impJDssible for them to leave the building -- or even their offices -- for '. lunch. So, the White House Mess is a service for the White House staff. i:?ofltP1~~rtg~'~conti~sirctmrtJ}fiiis6rFS''fifi ·· -- ·*- -- ___ _..,., - --·--- :.-- ...- ·-.· ··· · . • ·:---::....l..-·------. ··-. .. .,.__ -- - .. . . --· --·· . .. ~ . ... - -- ...... ~ ~1'c . ..;:MARJORIE JriJN.rm•~: go~d· relatiemi: with. Con'iressI Whi~ "HOuSe.. iour-: 1icket5 -~or an aiae ·:n;::,.~'"- late .~na~r .. ~ , ~~ • than Mr: NJX' · n· ,. • • ··· · constituents of ·members of Alexander Wtley of W1sconsm ..)(1 • .spodUC.n.Nn'Torlt'l'lmo • . ' 0 • ' '· . • . d dm' . tr . • . t · • .... ."'Relations between.-the White Cpngress.,..~,· • :··-"""~''' :-::. .... a.J?- .,a 1rus auve:-ass1stan to ~>X · • W!-SHINGTONrr ...-No~.:'. l~ House and Congress in the Nix- .. -Lawrence-· F ····O'Bnen, .. -who 81U-Brock; Republican of ·Ten-· . Pres1dent Fo~, fac~ wiUr· a on rs were often · stormy was. chief· Congressional.lobby- nessee, · who was then in ·the -no Congress - ~~avtly domu~•ted by pru!a'riJy -·beca~e ·Mr' Nixo~ ist for President Kennedy; once House but is now a Senator. ·srr·the. opposition P_Brty, .will make fre uenU .. b • used his own described his job as one with Mr. Timmons's ·possible suc ·lo '!~ma~or chang~s. In . the. s~a~f on liai~on te~in J: relying on other "heavy emphasis on .human re- cessor, Mr.. ~riederadorf, . is . a o.:- wh1~h. he reh~s. for J?Ohtlcally to 'd • h , H R Halde; ations...... J. • • •• former Ind1ana newsman; who ,i!Jr. sensitive rel~t1011s w1th . ~ena- mfn~:m~·Jo~n ~s Ehriichman Mr.- Timmons . was · named was ·once ·a House staff a1de to orb tors and Representatives•,~" · . in aealing.with la,;;makers ' chief of White House· Congres. Richard .L. Roudebush, an In- The planned. shifts,.expected , ·, · , · ' sional relations. by President d,iana Republican. Mr. Frieders- 3M before the new 94th Congress Fears,n~ Will Sp.rte~ Nixon in ~arlyl970;succeeding dorf is now the White House'~ hif- convenes in January,· wili-. · in~ -While Mr.' Ford~ has frequent~ Bryte N: Harlow. He had been chief lobbyist for ll1e House. · not elude· the departure ·o_f· at least Iy expressed admiration for the •• Jt I _three. of the: top ·White· ~ouse work done by Mr. Timmons.and 1 ?.1 • !obbyists whcx:n Mr. Ford· mher- his team. of-· professional· -per- 'llt Ited from Pres1dent Nix ...... :: ...... ' '· • .J . • . _, ..... •,~' ... •; ,._. ~;· . . . . . ~. - . : . !· • ::· .. . ~ . . •.. . . <': ·. -· . ~M~;·~* • ~-~·; c.-,7., ·~,-:' '~ --?>'" ' · ·:- ~... ~-~·. . '""·.,,.,., ...... ~ ' ..(! )_;:---: f ..-::: _,. _ __ f ···. -~.. ~> ~~?.;· ~~~"'l., -"..,_, •! . ;~::!: ~i". - · If: - ~~'~~ ~l: t·•~ ji ~ .: ,~·-.·· ¥ ''?-~t i'·'.J '~- > A247 . R A @7 BOWL 7-7 BY HELEN THO"RS UPI WHITE HOUSE REPORTER WASHINGTON 1 ' REPEATING 2ND PGH.s tfP.-:1:04. -fFHHlG -GARBL£>: '" THE 600~MEGAWAIT PLAHf Will USE-ENRICHED URANIUM FROM THE UNITED STATE·s AND NOT NEED THE •HERYY• WiliER -REQU1RED AT MOST NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS, A SPOKESMAN SAit4 UPI 07-07 02:57 PE~ UP-109 . 't ~ •4 c..o:>+ · ---~ 4~,1 ~~a . qS'" r • ; ~""'"' t. . ~-.::.1\..~ ~ • ...... ~ "1t cr&9.o .p= ~ 1 g__GJ"> ~ {f'A-.2_.17 ''Jlc--.~ ~ 0 . ~ ~~',4-. V ~ s. 1 ~ ~~ . ~ ..,~~ f. ~ ~ ~ ~... ,_ . ~ - ~· ~ l.~o- 7'/ ACCESS TO THE PRESIDENT Q: Yesterday you were asked who will have access to the President now that Don Rumsfeld has replaced Al Haig. Can you give us an answer today? A: Yes, I can. I went back and reviewed some of the notes I took at the senior staff meeting yesterday morning and talked further with the President about this matter today and I can tell you that the President wants Don to organize and coordinate the activities of the White House, and that includes access to the Oval Office. Q: Does that mean that everyone has to go through Rumsfeld in order to see the President? A: No, it doesn't, but the President said that it was the responsibility of the senior staff members to work through Don on matters in their area of responsibility that need Presidential attention. But he also said that on any significant matters, his door was open to them. Q: Does that mean that senior staff can see the President without Rumsfeld's knowledge or permission? A: That's hardly the way the President wants the White House run. Don has the job of being the coordinator and organizer of what the President calls 11 an intricate and complex organization.'' - 2 - He wants Don to be 11 cognizant of what's going on, 11 to use his words directly. Not only will there be many times when it is necessary to take up something with the President directly, but that's his style of operation. He likes to have personal contact with the individuals working for him. He likes to find out 11 firsthand' 1 what's going on. He said that to the senior staff yesterday. And I might add my own observations on how I see the White House being run in the short time that I've been here. I often hear the President say, 11 Well, let's get this guy in here so I can hear what he has got to say. 11 So I would look for good access to the President by his senior aides who will be working in coordination with Don Rumsfeld. Q: Does that include BobHarlln••, or will he continue to have free access to the Oval Office? ee~vn-~~ h ,c_1:;~, ~~~ I 1 A: Mr. Hartmann is -ia tl a 6 I 57 a O t>, but as I said yesterday and today, the President will have a lot to say about the comings and goings in the Oval Office and I know he often seeks Bob's advice. I would suspect that relationship will continue I think it is important to understand l!§ some of the ..;;.r./ -- senior staff people have mentione~ to m~ aides to the President4_.__ ,_!§£Junderstand better than anyone that a President's time is very limited so they certainly do not abuse the right of access to the President. If they have something they think can wait or can be put on paper for him to read, then they do that. But when they feel they need to see the President immediately rather then scheduling a later appointment, that is usually done. Q: You mean they just burst right into the Oval Office and interrupt? A: No, of course, not. The standard procedure--and this is ...._,one I use--is that a staff :member will tell Don Rumsfeld or the member of his staff dealing with scheduling that they need to see the President and Rumsfeld or his staff member who knows what the President is doing at that time would tell the staff member that it would have to be later or •••~ {0 ~::t4fl4A=t:os g lgl b hi aut hll ••• P1 esicl8a.:ic> right in~ ~t8~l~l~iii~1~~RdPI~c~t~I~t~C~lt~a~EJi§~~!~~Y~c~U~ti~e~:~t!§iLii?~~-T--~~==~ ~ THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON Suing of White House Fellows (Piece on page C-1 Post today) From: Bruce Hasenkamp - Director of White House Fellows The White House Fellows have not been served, so all they know about the suit is what they have read in the newspaper this morning. It doesn1t come as a surprise because they have been aware of the fact that this girl was unhappy. White House Fellows position is: No such discrimination in selecting the White House Fellows Their position will be vindicated in court WHITE HOUSE STAFF 1. Who is Dick Cheney? 2. Can Cheney really run it? 3. What happens to Hartmann? Marsh? Buchen? 4. Why didn't you name one of these senior people to be your Chief of Staff? 5. Who is going to be Scowcroft' s Deputy? 6. Are there going to be any other changes in the White House? Will there be additional reorganization steps? 7. Aren't you solving one problem - national security affairs-- at the expense of weakening an already weak White House? How are your goi~g to keep order in your own organization without Rumsfeld? 8. Will f:h~ House Staff be downgraced in importance relative to the Cabinet? 9. Will these steps cure the infighting problems in the White House? (J ~k?~ ;g c I'L(!; LvA:ee /~ ~,/7 _,t/F (/ /~ 1 cZvJ .J6 ~~~z-:t l-~'e~~-K / WHITE HOUSE STAFF CAMPAIGNING Q. There are press reports today that the DNC will file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that members of the White House staff who are on the public payroll are doing campaign work in violation of the campaign funding law. Do you think it is fair for you to use White House employees for campaign purposes when Jimmy Carter must use his limited campaign funds to support his entire staff? A. We have bent over backwards to operate completely within the new campaign law. Any campaign expense incurred by a member of my White House staff is paid by my Campaign Committee. Any campaign work they do is d1 i iA tAii· 11 *i112 · in addition to fully performing their official duties. The simple fact is that I must continue to exercise the responsibilities of the Presidency even while I am campaigning. This requires me to do both jobs and often my staff must do likewise. FOLLOW-UP QUESTION: Some press reports say that Mike Duval -- who is on the White House staff - is working full time on the debate. Why isn't he paid by the Campaign Committee? A. Mike has had substantial responsibilities in the White House during my entire two years as President. He continues to work on foreign and domestic policy decisions with particular emphasis on economic, energy, and foreign intelligence problems. His work on the debates is in addition to the time spent on his official duties. like many other members of my staff he works in excess of seventy hours a week. Campaigning by the ~'lhite House Staff Q. There have been suggestions in the last few days that the Democrats would file a legal suit charging that members of the White House staff, paid by the taxpayers, are spending excessive amounts of time on your campaign. Have you looked into this? · A. Before this campaign began, we gave very clear instructions that every member of my staff here at the ~·ihi te House was to give the taxpayers a full week's work for a full week's pay. That is the policy \ve have consistently followed. In fact, we have gone further than any White House in my memory to separate our campaign related activities and put them over at our campaign co®~ittee. For instance, we have instructed Cabinet members who have recently accepted speaking invitations, even for official purposes, to send their bills to my campaign ( com.1Uittee -- and not to the U.S. Treasury